OverExposed
by Keesha
Summary: The church ladies come for tea but Nick and Heath's high jinks get a little out of hand. First piece to a trilogy (Cow Cookies, What Comes Around Goes Around)


Over-Exposed By Dianne & Keesha Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program "Big Valley are the creations of Four Star/Republic Pictures and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
Boy Howdy, when I get my hands on him, he gonna wish he was never born, Heath thought for the hundredth time that evening. Nick waltzed by again with that smug little smile on his face and his arms around a pretty little auburn-haired girl.  
Heath glanced down at his own partner, Jean White he thought her name was; he barely suppressed a shudder. He was not normally so uncharitable, but this was an extreme case. His partner stood about 5' 4" he'd guess which complimented his 6' fine and dandy. However, his partner was also 5' 4" from side to side. He felt like he was maneuvering a fully loaded wheelbarrow around the dance floor.  
Her hair was, well, mousy brown was the first thing that came to his mind. It was long and straight; apparently she had tried to put it up in a fancy manner before the dance tonight. However, half of it had fallen down during the first dance and it now rather looked like something that had been left in the sun too long and was melting. Her dress was well different. Perhaps in her size the selection was rather limited (to feed bags, his mind added amusingly). About the only good feature she possessed were her eyes; hazel and surprisingly sexy. Heath shuddered again as the word sex wandered across his consciousness. He immediately stopped his mind from even beginning down that path. His dance partner tried to snuggle closer; he tried to step back.  
Heath glanced over the girl's shoulder to the edge of the dance floor. Yep, the hen party was still there. The girl's mother, sisters and aunts were still clucking and crackling away. Probably planning the weddin' Heath thought worriedly. The mother had that knowing smile on her face, the one Heath had seen in the past; the one that always sent him high- tailing for the hills.  
The music was coming to an end and he vowed he would ditch this girl once and for all. Everyone slowly came to a halt and clapped politely for the hard working musicians. Heath got ready to depart.  
"Well, it has been nice dancing with you Jean," he started, "but I don't want to monopolize."  
Nick came strolling up behind them and wrapped his arms around the couple. "Don't you kids look cute together."  
Heath threw his brother a look that could kill.  
Nick totally ignored him and started walking with the two, arm around Jean's waist, fist clutching Heath's coat to stop him from escaping.  
"My, my. I see they have put out the desserts. Don't they look delicious? Why don't you two go over and help yourselves," Nick suggested as he maneuvered out from between the two transferring Heath's arm to Jean's waist.  
"I don't think." Heath started as he tried to remove his arm, but it was too late. Jean had already latched on to his side (like a leech, his ever help mind supplied) and was dragging him towards the desserts. Another uncharitable thought crossed Heath's mind involving troughs, slop and hogs. Heath threw one last look of pure hatred at his brother as Nick danced away into the night with his pretty little redhead.  
I wonder, Heath mused as Jean hauled him along. If I killed Nick would Jarrod defend me? After I explain my case to him he might think it was justifiable homicide.  
  
Heath swore the evening would never end. Every time he tried to ditch Jean, Nick would conveniently step in and keep them linked up. Finally, the musicians packed up their instruments and everyone prepared to head home. Jean turned expediently to Heath for a goodnight kiss. Heath groaned inwardly, pecked her on the forehead and practically threw her at her mother and the rest of the hen pack. He turned heel and hastily bolted for the dozing Charger. He felt bad as he whipped the half-sleeping horse into a gallop, but he was taking no chances. God knows Nick would have him escorting Jean home if he wasn't careful.  
All the way back to the ranch, Heath amused himself by designing new and extremely painful ways to torture his older brother. He had just mentally applied an old Indian torture technique to his brother's sorry hide when the house came into view. He was somewhat surprised to see a light on in Jarrod's office at this hour.  
He put Charger away in the barn and headed for the house. Being polite, he popped his head in Jarrod's study to wish him goodnight.  
Jarrod looked up from his papers. "How was the dance?"  
Heath gave a low growl and decided he needed a drink before going to bed.  
"That good huh?"  
Jarrod leaned back in his chair and studied his brother's face. He didn't know if it was because he was a lawyer, trained to read people, or because he knew his brothers so well, but Jarrod could usually tell their state of mind from their facial expressions, even his newest brother. Right now, Heath's face was telegraphing major annoyance.  
"Something happen at the dance?" Jarrod gently prodded.  
Heath chuckled. Trust old Jarrod to get right to the point. Heath hadn't planned to tell him what happened, but somehow those piecing blue eyes drew it out of him. He regaled him with his horrible evening and Nick's role in it.  
"I swear to you Jarrod. He's gonna pay for this. I'm gonna." Heath's voice trailed off as his mind wandered back to the earlier tortures.  
Ut-oh. He also recognized that look on his brother's face too. "Heath," he warned, "Don't do anything rash. You know how mad Nick can get."  
Heath cocked an eyebrow at him and gave a twisted grin. "Me?" he said all innocent. "Rash? Dear brother, you know me better than that."  
Jarrod groaned. Yes, he did know Heath better than that and what he planned wouldn't be rash. No sir, it would be well thought-out, well planned and designed to slowly torture Nick. Jarrod wanted no part of it. He glanced over at his brother who was practically bursting at the seams with his scheming. Jarrod shook his head.  
"A word of advice Heath. Nick can be real mean when he's riled. You know he's eventually gonna catch you and when he does .well don't come don't come running to me for sympathy."  
Jarrod knew Heath had not even heard him. The boy was lost in whatever he was scheming as he wandered out of the room and up the staircase. Jarrod wondered if he could arrange to be out of town when the fireworks began.  
  
Heath lay awake half the night masterminding his revenge. Like a General, designing a campaign, he laid out every detail in his mind, leaving no rock unturned. After all, the key to winning a battle was through planning. And this was one skirmish Heath intended on winning hands down. He practically giggled as he rubbed his palms together in anticipation. This was gonna be good. Whoever wrote revenge was sweet was so very right.  
  
The next morning Heath put his plan into action. He behaved nicely towards Nick at the breakfast table, even taking some ribbing about his date, to show there were no hard feelings. As they finished breakfast, he suggested to Nick that they take a swim later in the day. It was Sunday Heath reminded him, a day of rest, and swimming sounded about as good as it got, especially after all that dancing last night (with that cow his gleeful mind added). Nick whole-heartedly agreed and they arranged to meet at the pond around 1:00 p.m.  
Jarrod groaned inwardly. Heath was setting Nick up, no doubt about it. However, he was still clueless as to what form the revenge would take. One thing for sure, whatever it was, based on the little smile that Heath couldn't quite wipe off his face, Jarrod knew it would be a doosy.  
  
Around 12:30, Jarrod stepped out onto the verandah for a breath of fresh air. He started to light a cigar when he heard a noise. He turned in time to see Heath hanging by his arms from Nick's balcony. Heath dropped onto the ground and crouched, scanning the area to see if he had been spotted. Jarrod quickly stepped behind one of the porch's columns. Satisfied he was in the clear, Heath rose and snuck around the corner of the house towards the barn.  
Jarrod's curiosity got the better of him and he followed after Heath. He saw him go in the barn, emerging a few minutes later with Charger. He left the horse in the corral and proceeded to go back into the barn, shutting the door behind him.  
A few seconds later he saw Heath climb out the hayloft door and swing himself up onto the roof. He leaned down, closed that door too, and then worked his way onto the portico roof, whistling for Charger. Charger obediently moved near the roof's edge and Heath dropped onto his back. The two went galloping off in the direction of the pond.  
Jarrod strolled back to the house. He still wasn't sure what his brother was up to but it should be an interesting afternoon he predicted.  
  
Nick didn't think about much of anything except getting out of the stifling heat and into that pond. There was no sign of Heath yet but Nick shrugged and decided to go in anyway. He figured his brother would mosey along soon. He tethered Coco to a tree and threw his gunbelt over the saddle horn. He moved closer to the pond ass he started to strip. He took all his clothes off throwing them in a pile on the ground, which he topped off his hat. He flung himself into the pond and let out a whoop as the icy water hit his bare skin. Nick worked his way out into the deeper water sputtering and splashing.  
That was what Heath had been waiting for in the nearby thicket. He slid off Charger's back and stealthily made his way over to Coco, the trees blocking him from view. He gave Coco a pat on the nose and proceeded to remove his saddle. He really just wanted to take the saddle blanket, but ended up taking the whole saddle too. He carried it back to where Charger waited and laid it quietly on the ground.  
Next he had to get the clothes. He wanted Nick to know who was doing this to him, but he didn't want to tip his hand too soon. Walking part way up, he then dropped on his stomache and crawled through the grass. So far, so good. Nick hadn't spotted him yet. He grabbed everything, except the chaps, boots and spurs. At the last minute he threw Nick's hat back on the pile. Hadda leave the man some dignity. Crouching, he ran back towards the trees.  
Charger nickered a greeting to his returning master. In the pond, Nick heard the sound and looked towards the shore to see if Heath had arrived. He saw a flash of white and what looked like a horse leaving with a rider carrying an extra saddle on his back.  
Nick glanced over at Coco and though he couldn't be sure from this distance, it seemed as if his horse was missing his saddle. Nick splashed angrily back towards the shore. He made dire threats about any man that would have the nerve to steal his saddle, from his horse, on his land. He got out of the pond and scanned for his clothes. Gone. He thought he'd left them right here. He looked closer and spotted his hat, boots and chaps but nothing else. He glanced at Coco could easily see his saddle was missing. His eyes moved to the horse and rider that had stopped in the distance; a big bay horse with a white sock; a horse he was very familiar with. Eventually, the horse and rider turned and headed back to the ranch. Nick swore he heard peels of laughter drifting in the breeze.  
Nick went through his list of curses again. That no account.he added a few more colorful descriptions . brother of mine. Just wait till I get my hands on him.  
  
Suddenly, Nick became acutely aware that he was standing around buck- naked in broad daylight and hastily retreated back into the pond. Sinking into a crouch beneath the water, he considered his options. "I could just sit here and wait 'til dark," he thought to himself. But that was many hours away and Nick was hardly the type of man who responded to a difficult situation with inaction. "No sir!" he muttered to himself, "if I have my way, Heath is gonna be tarred and feathered before sundown!" He scanned the banks around the pond, hoping against hope that Heath had dropped something during his swift getaway. His shirt, or a blanket--anything!  
But alas, the only sights that greeted him were the grass waving in the breeze and his saddleless horse. Furious and thoroughly frustrated, Nick smacked the water with his hand and stomped back out of the pond. He climbed into what was left of his clothing--boots, chaps and spurs-- grumbling expletives all the while. Once "dressed", he stared down at himself. "Oh Heath," he seethed aloud, "you are going to suffer for this!" and slamming his hat on his head, Nick trudged up the hill to where Coco was tied.  
  
Now this was a problem of a different sort. As much as he didn't relish the idea of riding his horse bareback without any pants on, the alternative was even less appealing. Walking would allow exposure on all sides. At least sitting down, his private parts could remain somewhat-- private. Nick untied Coco and mounted up with the aid of an old tree stump. He shifted uncomfortably, cringing at the unusual sensation of bare flesh on horsehair. "We're going to take this nice and slow," he whispered to the horse and urged the animal forward.  
  
Skirting the perimeter of the house, Nick eased Coco down the hill beyond the stables and into the paddock area behind the barn. Mercifully, the place seemed quiet and Nick prayed that every last one of the ranch hands had gone into town for the day. Feeling slightly relieved at both making it back to the ranch and being able to climb off his horse, Nick was sure it was now just a matter of slipping into the bunkhouse and borrowing some clothes. Then, he could get on with the more important business of strangling his brother. He tied Coco to the rail next to the horse trough and proceeded to slink his way around to the front of the bunkhouse. Glancing in all directions, Nick bounded up onto the porch intending to get safely inside and out of sight as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the door didn't give way and he barged face first into it. Briefly stunned, he rattled the doorknob, first with one hand, then with both. "What the devil..."he muttered, "This door is never locked." He moved over to the window and curved his hands around the brim of his hat to try and see if anyone was inside. The place appeared to be empty. Of course, what he couldn't see on the other side of the door was Heath and Ciego standing with hands clamped tightly over each other's mouths desperately trying not to burst out with laughter. A moment later, they heard the sound of Nick's footsteps departing from the porch and they both crept over to peer out the window. "This is going to be even more beautiful than I thought," Heath whispered to nobody in particular as he watched Nick make a naked dash for the barn.  
  
Not one to surrender easily, Nick had now set his sights on a horse blanket. All he needed was something to cover himself long enough to get into the house. The first door he tried was the one to the tackroom. It was locked. He moved over to the main door. Same thing. In the end, he circled the entire building and found it to be completely secure. Even the door to the hayloft was padlocked. Nick let loose with another round of curses and began to pace back and forth, wracking his brain for what to do next. He was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of a buggy approaching, closely followed by two others, and he promptly ducked behind the horse trough. The first buggy carried the preacher and Mrs. White. Victoria and Jarrod, who called for Ciego to take the horses, met them at the front door.  
"I'm so sorry, Reverend," Jarrod apologized when Ciego failed to appear. "I can't imagine where he's gotten to."  
"No trouble at all. You escort Mrs. White into the house. I'll take the carriage around to the paddock myself. Perhaps, Ciego couldn't hear you calling him," the preacher replied cheerfully.  
  
Nick's eyes widened in horror with the realization that Reverend Houlding was headed his way. He crab-crawled past Coco and over to the other side of the corral. "Well, I've got no choice now," he reasoned, and with a resigned shake of his head, lit off for the house. He made it as far as the shrubs outside of the study and decided to hunker down there until the buggies had finished arriving. "That blasted committee meeting!" Nick swore to himself. "I forgot all about it." He paused. "But I'll just bet that dear brother of mine didn't! Heath, my boy, your death is becoming longer and more painful by the second!"  
  
Finally, twenty minutes later, everyone seemed to be safely ensconced indoors and Nick determined it was time to make his next move. The delay in the bushes had at least allowed him to recognize that he was positioned directly below his bedroom and not far from refuge. He made one last check for stray visitors, and then high-tailed it across the terrace and up the trellis. Once on the balcony, Nick heaved a huge sigh of relief and began to relax. Thinking the worst was over, he even allowed himself another glance down at his unfortunate state of undress, and actually began to chuckle. "Well, maybe it's just a little bit funny..." he thought with a smile. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spied the handles of the French doors leading inside. Rushing over for a closer look, he saw that they had been tied together with a thick twist of wire. The only way he was getting in there was with wire cutters. Nick smacked his hat across the balcony railing several times, all conciliatory thoughts erased from his mind. If he'd had any sense, he would have stayed put until the committee meeting was over, but Nick was now too hell-bent on hunting Heath down and stringing him up by his thumbs.  
  
Downstairs, Jarrod had completed the task of helping his mother greet the guests and was returning to the study. As he sat down at the desk, he heard a series of thuds coming from the outside wall. "For heaven's sake, Heath. What are you up to now?" he wondered as he rose to investigate. Halfway across the room, Jarrod caught a glimpse of the semi-clad Nick jumping from the trellis to the ground. He flung open the terrace door but before he could get his brother's attention, Nick had disappeared around the side of the house. While Jarrod considered whether or not to follow him, Heath snuck up behind his oldest brother.  
"Quite a sight, isn't it?" he asked, wearing a grin a mile wide.  
"Heath, don't you already wind up in enough scrapes that you don't need to go around creating them for yourself?" Jarrod inquired.  
"Sorry, Jarrod," Heath shrugged. "I couldn't pass this up. I owe Nick one. A big one."  
  
Nick lurked outside the kitchen door for several minutes, waiting for Silas to load up his tray with teacups. It wouldn't have bothered him so much to enter immediately except for the fact that Audra and the new houseguest, Lily were helping to arrange the finger sandwiches. After what seemed like an eternity, the three left the kitchen and Nick dashed inside and up the back stairs. He should hardly have been surprised to find the door at the top locked. Seemingly defeated, Nick leaned his back against the wall and slowly slid downward to sit on the landing. He was now completely out of ideas as to how to get into his room--particularly ideas that didn't involve parading through the middle of the committee meeting in the buff. Even killing Heath wasn't worth that.  
  
Before long, Silas returned to the kitchen followed by Victoria. "The teacakes look wonderful, Silas. I'm so glad you thought to make them," Victoria told him.  
"Why, it's my pleasure Mrs. Barkley. Mrs. White, especially, seems to like them just fine."  
"Yes, she certainly does seem to," Victoria agreed with a sly grin. "I'm trying to get everyone settled in the living room so that we may begin the meeting. If you could bring in some more tea, that would be lovely." "Yes, ma'am. I'll be in directly," Silas nodded and Victoria left the kitchen.  
"Ah ha!" thought Nick. "Here's my chance. With everyone in the living room and Silas busy serving tea, I should be able to sneak through the hallway and up the front stairs, and no one will be the wiser. Even if that wretched brother of mine has locked my bedroom door, I'll bet he didn't think to lock his or Jarrod's and I don't give a flying hoot whose clothes I put on--as long as they're clothes!"  
  
Nick waited patiently for Silas to collect a new pot of tea and trailed him at a safe distance out of the kitchen. When Silas rounded the corner into the living room, Nick seized the moment and stepped out into the hallway, tiptoeing as close to the wall as possible. He was nearing the edge of the stairs when suddenly there was a bloodcurdling shriek and a crash from behind him. Nick whirled around and came face to face with Mrs. White, who had just dropped a plateful of teacakes and was holding both her hands across her mouth in horror. In a flash, Nick whipped off his hat and used it to cover himself.  
"Now ma'am, just calm down," Nick tried to soothe the alarmed woman. "There's no need to scream. I've found myself in a bit of a predicament this afternoon and I'm trying to get upstairs."  
Naturally, the commotion attracted attention and before Nick could continue his explanation, there was another round of screams as the guests gathered in the foyer.  
"Nicholas Jonathan Barkley! What on earth do you think you're doing?" Victoria's voice bellowed above the others. Nick turned to respond to his mother but this merely served to expose himself again to Mrs. White and she slumped to the floor in a dead faint.  
Jarrod, who had just joined the crowd, and Victoria rushed to the stricken woman's aid while Nick stood helplessly among the committee members trying to decide whether to use his hat to cover his front or his back. He was far too preoccupied to notice Heath over by the study door nearly rolling on the floor in a fit of hysterical laughter.  
  
Jarrod removed the cloth from under the flowers on the foyer table and handed it to Nick who promptly wrapped it around his lower region. Mrs. White started to come around under Victoria's administrations. As her eyes fluttered open they unfortunately came to rest on Nick's bare chest not noticing his private parts were once again private, she gathered her breath to shriek again.  
"Nicholas would you please go upstairs and put some clothes on!" Victoria ordered exasperatedly as she continued to fan the fainting Mrs. White. Nick scurried up the stairs.  
A few seconds later the naked man was heard from again. "Damn," he yelled as he tried the door to his room. "I'm gonna kill him"  
Victoria rolled her eyes as she stood. "Jarrod, let's move Mrs. White to the couch in the study. As she turned towards the study door, she spotted Heath propped against the door jam laughing hysterically. Her eyes narrowed. She now had a pretty good idea who the "him" was Nick had referred to rather loudly in the upstairs hallway. "Heath, come help Jarrod with Mrs. White."  
Nick, who was skulking across the upper hallway on his way to Jarrod's room, paused. Nick's eyes grew cold as he saw Heath emerge from the study doorway, wiping tears of laughter from his face. "Oh, I bet you think this is real funny. Well, you just wait boy and we'll see who has the last laugh." He continued on his quest for an open door and clothes.  
Heath moved across the foyer floor to aid Jarrod. He caught a slight movement in the upper hallway and was pretty sure he saw Nick duck around the corner. He felt Victoria's disapproving gaze on him as he passed her, certain he was in for trouble from that quarter too.  
After one look at Mrs. White's figure, it became perfectly obvious where Jean had inherited her rather large girth; from her mother. The brothers labored to move her to the study. They finally succeed to plop her statuesque body on the couch.  
"So dear brother. Was it worth it? Or should I say will it be worth it?" Jarrod asked as they left the women in the study. The laughter that Heath had been trying to suppress so hard burst forth again. He could barely walk straight and Jarrod grasped his arm. "Heath get a hold of yourself. This is not funny," Jarrod hissed. That only served to make Heath laugh harder, nearly knocking down the Reverend. The committee members watched in silence as Jarrod strong-armed his laughing, reeling brother from the room.  
When the boys disappeared through the kitchen door, the whispering started. Just what type of household was Victoria Barkley running? One son running around the place stark naked, the other reeling and carrying on like a drunken sailor. Shameful it was. Wild boys. Someone should have taken the switch to those boys. The mumbling died down when Victoria emerged from the study with a pale, but recovering Mrs. White in tow.  
"Shall we retire to the living room and continue our meeting?" Victoria tried to muster as much dignity as she could, all the while seething on the inside at her sons' behaviors.  
  
Anyone entering the study later that evening would have thought a funeral was going on, except perhaps if they watched the face of the youngest Barkley in the room. He seemed unable to control an occasional smirk from fleeting across his face.  
The middle Barkley was steaming under his collar, becoming more incensed whenever he saw that little smile lurk on his sibling's face. Wiping that smile off that face was all he wanted to do but his mother had forbidden any violence and he had given his word to obey her. The eldest brother was currently under interrogation by his mother.  
"And it is beyond me Jarrod Thomas Barkley, while you ever allowed this to happen!"  
"Me! Now wait a minute. I didn't have anything to do with this. It was all his doing," he countered.  
Victoria turned to look at the person indicated, who had the bad timing to be smirking again. "Heath!" Victoria paused, put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side. "Do you have a middle name young man?" she demanded.  
He nodded but remained silent.  
She folded her arms across her chest and looked pointedly as him  
"Oh. Matthew Ma'am," he supplied helpfully.  
"All right Heath Matthew Barkley. Wipe that smile off your face."  
He tried to comply, he really did but.  
"This is no laughing matter. You," including all her sons in her glance, "made a mockery of the Barkley name, reputation, and of me. I don't take kindly to being made look the fool in front of a group of highly respected members of this community. How am I suppose to show my face in town after you have shamed me so. Oh, you father would roll over in his grave if he knew how you disgraced the family name."  
"It was all his fault." Nick shouted. "I oughta."  
"Nicholas that is enough," cutting him off in mid-sentence. "You are all to blame for what happened today." She could feel her son the lawyer about to raise an objection. "Even you Jarrod," she said sadly as her gazed rested solely upon her eldest. "From you, I expected more. These two don't have the good sense to come in out of the rain. But you. Oh I am disappointed in you Jarrod."  
Jarrod started to object again but the look in his mother's eye made him hang his head in shame instead. "Perhaps she is right", he thought. "Maybe I could have stopped this from occurring."  
Satisfied she had gotten her point across to her eldest, she turned her attentions on the younger two. Nick was still fuming; Heath smirking again.  
She looked to the youngest first. He tried to look serious but couldn't keep the laughter from dancing in his eyes. Her mind wandered a moment. Her late husband Tom had been one for practical jokes and like his son, he often hung around too long wanting to see the outcome and getting caught. She forced her mind back to the present.  
"Heath, what you did to your brother was inexcusable. God knows what he could have done for you to retaliate in such a manner. I don't want to know." she said holding up her hand forestalling Heath's explanation. "I expect you to apologize to your brother for the embarrassment you caused him. I almost feel he has the right to hit you for what you did but." she said addressing her comments directly to Nick, "he won't as he gave his word." Nick squirmed in his chair and contented himself with cracking his knuckles. "You both owe an apologize to everyone of those committee members plus the Reverend and I expect you to deliver one. How you two are ever going to show your face in his church again is beyond me."  
Knowing he shouldn't but unable to resist, Heath muttered "That should be no problem for Nick. Seems they have seen about everything has to offer." Jarrod's eyes pleaded with his younger brother to shut up.  
Victoria glared. "You seem to be missing the seriousness of this situation Heath. That committee was here to discuss adding an addition to the Orphanage. An addition, I might add that is desperately needed and that YOU will play an integral role in building as punishment for your role in today's incident. And heaven forbid, if so much as one of those people today withdraws their support, I will personally see to it that you win back their support, even if it means marrying their daughter!"  
Heath wilted in his chair under the onslaught of his Mother's fury.  
"Do I make myself perfectly clear," she demanded.  
With downcast eyes he answered "Yes Ma'am."  
  
Softening, she turned to look at her last son. What could see say to him. In a way, his humiliation was punishment enough, though she knew deep down he probably deserved what he got, at least to some degree. He was no saint.  
"Son, perhaps it would have been wiser for you to have waited for the committee to leave before entering the house." She studied her son's face. "Though, I suspect you were distracted by other thoughts at the time." Nick glared past her at Heath.  
"Remember, you promised Nick. No violence," she admonished.  
Nick nodded his head in concurrence. No violence, but that doesn't mean I won't get him some other way.  
"Nick,. Heath. I want you to drive over to Mrs. White's place tomorrow and apologize. Try to show her you are respectable young men."  
"But, I can't." Heath spoke up in quickly. Victoria cut him down with a glance. "Yes Ma'am," he muttered.  
The wheels in Nick's mind were already spinning. Jarrod wasn't a lawyer for nothing and he quickly pieced together the new puzzle. Mrs. White's, Jean's mother. The grin on Nick's face and the discomfort on Heath's said it all. History was about to repeat itself and as usual, Jarrod knew too much.  
  
Victoria stood in the doorway watching her youngest sons ride off. She had supervised every aspect of this apology mission from checking their clothes to prompting their speech. She was leaving nothing to chance  
"Do you think this is wise Mother? Perhaps I should have gone along." Jarrod said as he joined her at the door.  
"What more trouble could those two possible cause to top this fiasco? I mean, really, your brother parading around naked in front of all those women with his hat covering his." she broke down and finally allowed herself to laugh over the situation. It wouldn't have done to laugh in front of Nick and Heath but with Jarrod well, it was all right. He joined her adding his own masculine laughter, to her musical sound. Though while Jarrod laughed, he couldn't help wondering if his mother had underestimated his brothers; he suspected they could get into more trouble, lots more.  
  
Heath lagged behind his brother all the way to the White's ranch.  
"Will you c'mon," Nick demanded for the third time since they set out. "I'm no more anxious to do this than you are."  
Heath wasn't too sure about that. Jean, he shuddered, would surely be there and probably take his coming to the house as a marriage proposal. When they arrived at the house, Heath crept down off his horse and slunk behind his brother to the door.  
Mrs. White answered the door herself and after assuring Nick was fully clothed she invited the men into the house. They removed their hats and stood there awkwardly.  
Jean appeared at the head of the stairs, a huge smile manifesting on her face when she saw Heath. She clomped down the stairs in a most unlady- like manner to join them. Nick felt his brother cringe as she drew near. Nick stepped aside so his brother could not use him as a shield.  
In the end, Nick did all the talking, offering a most sincere apology to Mrs. White for his and his brother's behavior. Mrs. White hardly paid a smidgen of attention to what Nick was saying. She kept looking back and forth between her daughter and Heath, sizing them up. Her daughter was gazing dreamily at the sandy-haired cowboy who had his eyes firmly fixed on the rug. When Nick was finished she invited both men in for tea, tightly latching onto Heath's arm and dragging him, like a reluctant horse, into the parlor.  
"That is nice of you Ma'am, but we really ah.have to be going, right Nick?"  
Nick clapped a hand to his brother's back helping Mrs. White move him along. "Heath my boy, where are your manners. We would be honored to stay for tea." Jean trailed along behind giggling. Heath swore. Mrs. White saw them comfortably seated and then went off to see to the tea. Through Nick's manipulations, Heath found himself sitting on the couch with Jean next to him. He glared at his brother who expressed undue interest in a knick-knack on the nearby table.  
When Mrs. White came in with the tea set, Nick slapped himself on the forehead and said, "I almost forgot. Mother sent over some of her plum preserve. I left it in my saddlebag. I'll just go out and git it."  
Heath leapt to his feet, "I'll go for you."  
Walking over to his brother, he firmly pressed him back on the couch. "You stay here," he growled then pleasantly added "with this lovely lady." Picking up his hat with a slight nod, he strode out the front door.  
The sweat trickled down Heath's back as he waited for his brother to return. The minutes dragged by, seeming like hours. Jean kept creeping closer on the couch. The teacup rattled so much in his hand he was forced to place it back on the table. Finally, Mrs. White wondered out loud what could have happened to Nick. Heath bolted to his feet nearly upsetting the tea and volunteered to check. He ran out the door coming to a halt on the front porch.  
The horses were gone. Coco and Charger. Missing. Heath scanned the horizon in desperation for a sign of the disappeared animals. An old stable hand looked up from his sweeping, "You lookin' for a horse?"  
"Yeah, a big bay. Was tied right here," Heath said looking again at the spot where he left Charger as if the horse would magically reappear.  
"That other cowboy, he said the horse broke free. He'd went to chase after him, he did."  
Heath's face-hardened. Charger would never do that. Damn you Nick.  
"Yeppers, that cowboy said he'd catch him and bring him right back here.eventually." The old man chuckled as he went back to sweeping.  
Mrs. White came up behind him catching the tail end of the conversation. "What a shame about your horse, but I'm sure your brother will catch him. Now, come back in and finish your tea. Jean is waiting."  
Heath's shoulders slumped as he gave one last desperate look at the horizon before trailing after Mrs. White into the house.  
"Yes," she chattered on. "My Jean is quite the girl. Say, I have a splendid idea. Why don't you stay with us for dinner? Jean made a wonderful cake for dessert. You try it and you'll see what a splendid cook she is. Make any man a good wife she would my Jean," she said giving Heath a nudge in the ribs with her elbow. "Yes, you will stay for supper and afterwards, if your horse hasn't come back, Jean can take you home in the wagon. You could swing by the pond in the East Meadow, very pretty at this time of year." she said as she firmly shut the door. Heath couldn't help wondering if she locked it to prevent escape.  
  
Jarrod was smoking a cigar amongst the roses when he saw Nick ride up to the house-leading Charger.  
"Something happen Nick," he asked in concern seeing the riderless horse.  
"Naw. Heath wanted to stay around for a while and chat with the daughter."  
"You mean Jean, the rather unattractive one."  
"Exactly."  
"And he did this voluntarily?" Jarrod questioned in disbelief.  
"Of course."  
"And how, pray tell, is he going to get home without Charger?"  
"Well now, that is a predicament isn't it? At least he'll have his clothes," Nick threw over his shoulder as he headed with the horses to the stable.  
Jarrod laughed as he walked into the house.  
"Jarrod dear, what is so funny?" Victoria asked. "Did I hear Nick's voice? Have they returned? Did everything go all right?"  
"My dear sweet lady, you don't want to know," Jarrod said wrapping his arms about his mother.  
"Oh my God. Please Jarrod, please tell me they both returned fully clothed."  
"I can assure you they are fully clothed. It's the returning home part that might be a little tricky."  
Victoria groaned and shook her head. Oh no. Dear Lord. Please not again.  
  
The End 


End file.
